World Population PyramidsPopulation pyramids and indicators by country and year日本語

Japan vs Republic of Korea: population pyramids in 1955

1955Swap

JapanRepublic of Korea

2%1.5%1%0.5%0%0.5%1%1.5%2%0102030405060708090100MaleFemale

Each bar is the share of the total population at that single year of age (men left, women right), so countries of different sizes can be compared.

Japan and Republic of Korea compared

In 1955, Japan has a population of 91.9 million and the Republic of Korea 21.8 million; Japan is about 4.2 times the size of the Republic of Korea.

The share aged 65 and over is 5.2% in Japan and 2.9% in the Republic of Korea, 2.4 points higher in Japan. The median age is 23.5 years in Japan and 18.8 years in the Republic of Korea.

The total fertility rate is 2.35 in Japan and 6.17 in the Republic of Korea, both above the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 65.7 years in Japan and 48.4 years in the Republic of Korea.

By 2050, the population of Japan is projected to grow by 14.3% and that of the Republic of Korea to grow by 108.1% compared with 1955.

GDP per person is $36K in Japan (2025) and $36K in the Republic of Korea (2025).

Key figures (1955)

JapanRepublic of Korea
Population91.9 million21.8 million
Aged 0–1433.5%41.1%
Aged 15–6461.2%56.0%
Aged 65+5.2%2.9%
Median age23.5 yrs18.8 yrs
Old-age dependency8.65.2
Total fertility rate2.356.17
Life expectancy65.7 yrs48.4 yrs
Population growth+1.08%+3.30%
Net migration (per year)-95,975+151,123
GDP$4.44T (2025)$1.87T (2025)
GDP per person$36K (2025)$36K (2025)
Unemployment2.5% (2025)2.7% (2025)

Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.

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